After their fourth win in a row, Barrow have moved up to sixth in the league after an entertaining encounter with Bradford City, in a game which saw Pete Wild’s side come out 2-1 winners.
The previous fixture for the Cumbrians came away at Valley Parade against a Bradford City side who were under new management with Graham Alexander spending his first game in the home dugout. The match saw Bradford put out a strong performance in the second half however, it wasn’t enough as Pete Wild’s men prevailed 2-1 winners.
The game started quickly with Barrow opening the scoring after only 20 seconds thanks to a Dom Telford goal. For the rest of the first half Barrow controlled the game and had the better chances however, Bradford equalised in the 33rd minute through Tyler Smith. The second half saw Bradford grow into the game and they had multiple chances to go into the lead but, struggled to complete the final pass which would set them on their way to doing so. Barrow soaked up a lot of the pressure from the home side in the second period and George Ray put the Bluebirds back in front in the 77th minute after he stabbed home his effort from close range.
Going into Saturday’s game against Crawley Town, the Bluebirds are in sixth place with 28 points and ahead of Morecambe in seventh spot by one point. As for Crawley going into the game, they are in 11th place and have 24 points. So, a win for the side could see them rise up to seventh in the league if results go their way elsewhere, as for Barrow a win could see them rise up to fifth in the league if Notts County drop points this weekend.
It is also not to be forgotten that Barrow remains unbeaten at the SO Legal Stadium in the league and has also won four games in a row in all competitions.
Team news
Last Saturday’s game saw a return in the squad for Dean Campbell who missed out on our FA Cup game away to Northampton through injury, whilst he also got 90 minutes under his belt during the B Team's match on Tuesday.
The opposition
Crawley Town currently sits in 11th place in the league with a total of 24 points and a game in hand on the Bluebirds. A win for them could see them rise to seventh in the league ahead of Barrow’s fierce rivals Morecambe. In Crawley’s last game, they played Accrington Stanley at home, a game in which they won 3-1 and Danilo Orsi scored two goals for the home side. The Accrington side they beat are three places above the Red Devils in eighth place in the league table and only two places below Wild’s side.
Taking a look at the form of Crawley in the league, it is very mixed, and it varies. Before last weekend’s game which they won 3-1, they hadn’t won a league in six games, and four of those were losses. So, Crawley Manager Scott Lindsay will be hoping for back-to-back league victories so he can put their previous bad run of form behind them.
A player for the Bluebirds to look out for is striker and Crawley top scorer Orsi. He is currently on seven goals and one assist after 15 games in the league this season. Another player for fans to look out for is Adam Campbell, also a striker and the second-top scorer at the club. Adam carries a vast amount of experience in lower-league football so given this he is certainly going to be impactful for the Red Devils if he is on form and starts on Saturday.
Head-to-head
In the eight previous matches the two sides have faced each other, Crawley has won five, Barrow has won two, and one match has resulted in a draw.
Last season when the two sides met, the first game was played away from home for the Bluebirds down in Sussex. Crawley started the game very well and went ahead in the sixth minute when current Barrow player and Crawley star, Dom Telford ran down the right-hand side and played the ball into Ashley Nadesan who finished off a right-footed shot from close range into the center of the goal to take it past Paul Farman, which ultimately secured the three points for the Red Devils.
The reverse fixture was played at Holker Street, and Barrow started the game well with Josh Gordan putting the home side 1-0 up thanks to an assist from homegrown star, Elliott Newby. The next goal came just after halftime when Barrow produced a good bit of play and Harrison Neal made a headed pass to Josh Gordan who headed from close range to put the Bluebirds 2-0 up. At this point the home side were cruising through the game and on the 54th minute Crawley Town right-back Travis Johnson gave away a penalty, which Josh Gordan converted down the centre of the goal to complete his hat trick. In the 81st minute, Ged Garner also scored with a headed attempt to wrap up the three points for the Bluebirds and score his first Barrow goal.
Referee
The man in charge of tomorrow’s match is Sebastian Stockbridge who has refereed a total of 14 games in the EFL this season, predominantly in the third and fourth divisions. He last refereed the Bluebirds back in February, when we lost 1-0 away to Newport County.
Accompanying him tomorrow will be Graeme Fyvie, Callum Jones, and Ben Waytt.
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased both online and in person at Holker Street.
Main stand tickets (Purchased in advance)
Adults- £20
Seniors (65+)- £17
18-21- £17
15-17- £7
7- 14 (Accompanied by an adult)- £7
Under 7s- Free (Accompanied by an adult)
Terrace Tickets (Purchased in advance)
Adults- £18
Seniors (65+)- £15
18-21- £15
15-17- £6
7- 14 (Accompanied by an adult)- £6
Under 7s- Free (Accompanied by an adult)
Main stand tickets (Purchased on the day)
Adults- £22
Seniors (65+)- £18
18-21- £18
15-17- £8
7- 14 (Accompanied by an adult)- £8
Under 7s- Free (Accompanied by an adult)
Terrace tickets (Purchased on the day)
Adults- £20
Seniors (65+)- £16
18-21- £16
15-17- £7
7- 14 (Accompanied by an adult)- £7
-Under 7s- Free (Accompanied by an adult)
Words by Dylan Whitbread
